


Winston

by Anica



Series: Hanni-verse [40]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Bratty Kid, But Also Funny, Established Relationship, Go Hug Your Pet, Hannibal is Hannibal, He does what he wants, I hope, I'm Sorry, In Hannibal style, Kid!Hanni, M/M, Or What Will Wants, Post Mpreg, Stories that are Memories, Winston Saves The Day, dealing with death, it's sad, overreacting, pet death, puppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 09:59:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3687975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anica/pseuds/Anica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They deal with the passing of Winston in true Hanni-verse style.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winston

**Author's Note:**

> Not Beta-ed proofed and hungry ... So slightly in a rush. Let me know where I messed up. 
> 
> And I'm sorry. If you have pets, be ready to hug them.

Hannibal Lecter stood straight, holding a polished wooden box in both of his hands as he observed his family. 

Hanni stood with his face buried in Will’s sweater, crying as he had been for most of the day. His dad whispered gentle words of understanding as he held him close with one arm around his shoulders, and rubbed his back with the other. 

Will would drop kisses on top the boy’s head as he tried to comfort and reassure him, his own face red and eyes swollen from crying. He wasn’t shaking, and his voice didn’t break but the tears continued to roll down his face as he looked at the box in Hannibal’s hands. 

Winston had been a part of their family, refusing to stay away when he was given to nice young couple that wanted nothing more than to spoil him. Will could hardly remember his life before him and Hanni had never known a time without his best friend.

Hannibal stepped closer, running his fingers through his husband’s curls and pulling his head closer so that he could lay kiss against the temple. He had appreciated Winston’s company. He was a quiet dog, content to watch over them, without the constant need for attention. He understood death, and though he did not mourn the passing, he would miss the dog. He would miss the happiness he brought to his family. 

“Hanni, would you like to go first?” Hannibal asked, holding out the box of ashes, his other hand resting the small of Will’s back. 

“No,” Hanni said, though he turned and took the box, holding it close. “I can’t. I don’t want him to be gone yet. He can’t be gone.” 

“It was his time,” Will said gently, slipping his arm back around the boy’s shoulders. “He was an old guy, who had many wonderful years thanks to you. He might not be with us but he isn’t gone, not while we still have memories of him.” 

“I know, Daddy,” Hanni whispered, choking back a sob. “But it hurts so much.” 

“It won’t always hurt like this,” Hannibal said softly, moving so the boy was between them. “When you remember him, you will remember the adventures you had together, the good times you had shared, and how happy he made you.”

Hanni looked up when he felt his papa brush a handkerchief over his face. “What if it never goes away? I miss him so much. How can that just go away?” 

“It does,” Hannibal promised softly, running a thumb over his cheek. “It gets better, it will never leave you but it does get better.” 

“I wish I could just forget,” Hanni said, closing his eyes and leaning forward against his father’s chest. 

“You don’t want that,” Will told him. “It might hurt but it shouldn’t take away from the good times you had with him.” He took the box from Hanni. “I think we should all share a memory of Winston as we say good-bye. I can go first if you’d like.”

Hanni nodded and pulled away, watching as his daddy walked over to the edge of the lake they had come to in order to spread the ashes. 

“I will never forget how much he loved you.” Will ran his hand over the wooden box before opening it. His eyes brimmed with tears again as he looked over at his young son. “How he always looked out for you.” 

**** About 7 years ago **** 

Will liked grading papers in the dining room during the day. The room was open and bright, and he could hear his son running throughout the house from there. His ears were trained to pick up silence as well as any crashes or thuds that might occur from when a five year old was told to go play. The former being as bad, if not worse, then the sound of destruction. 

Winston’s bark was unexpected. He was a quite dog, only barking when strangers approached the boy and neither Will nor Hannibal were close by. This bark was less warning and more alert, causing Will to nearly knock his chair back as he took off running. 

“Winston, quite, you’ll get me in trouble,” Will heard before he turned the corner. He gasped when he saw his son by the banister of the second floor, holding on to the railing from the outside.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Will demanded, keeping his voice calm so as not to startle the little boy. He positioned himself under the child in case Hanni lost his grip, his heart pounding in his chest.

“I was just playing,” Hanni explained, a bit of grumble in his voice, perfectly aware that he was in trouble. 

“I need you to come down right now,” Will told him firmly, wanting nothing more than to race up the stairs and snatch the boy up, but terrified that the moment he moved away his son’s hold on the wood would fail. 

Hanni moved towards the edge where the stairs began to descend, forced to grab on to the railing with every new step. He glanced over his shoulder at his father every few steps, trying to see how upset the older man really was. When he was within reach, Will grabbed him around the waist and put him down onto the floor. 

“What were you doing up there?” Will asked again, the calm slipping away, only to be replaced by fear and anger as he glared down at the child. 

“Playing,” Hanni said, shifting uncomfortably. 

“Playing? Is that all you have to say for yourself?” Will’s eyes narrowed on the boy. “I know you knew what you were doing was wrong. Do understand why it was wrong?”

Hanni’s only reply was a shrug, slightly nonchalant and uncaring, causing Will to reach over and pull the boy closer. It might have not been the way that Hannibal would have handled the situation but it sure as hell the way his own father would have done it. 

Before he could give the boy a swat like he intended to, Winston snarled and jumped, grabbing Will’s sleeve and pulling his hand away. He stood there, shocked, even after the dog let him go. Winston was glaring up at him, ready to pounce again if needed.

Once the surprise wore off, Will laughed. Hanni, seeing his Daddy relax, laughed too. 

“Really Winston? You’re taking his side?” He reached forward to pet the dog, who instantly dropped and rolled over so his belly could be scratched. Hanni fell to his knees next to him, more than happy to help his best buddy out. 

“Come on,” Will said, lifting the boy up. “You’re not out of trouble just yet.” 

Hanni face fell, lower lip sticking out as he waited for the judgment. 

“Since you can’t be trusted to play nicely on your own, you can sit and watch me work.” 

“That’s boring.”

“Don’t whine,” Will said, this time more firmly. “Do you know what’s going to happen if you try something like that again?” 

“You’re going to smack my butt,” Hanni mumbled, pouting as tucked his head against his dad’s shoulder. 

“More than once, no matter what Winston thinks about that. Understand?” 

“Yes, Daddy.” 

*****Present******

“I remember that,” Hanni laughed. “I think I was playing Batman.”

“It seems you might not have learned that lesson after all,” Papa commented from somewhere behind him, remembering his son’s attempt to scale the outside of their house. 

“That was different!” He glanced up at Will. “It wasn’t the stairs.” 

“It wasn’t but close enough to make me think that maybe Winston shouldn’t have interfered,” Will said, handing over the box and pulling him close with his free arm. “He was very protective of you. He loved you very much, and it didn’t matter if he thought the danger was coming from me or your papa, or even you, he never hesitated. He was always there for you and I’ll always be grateful for that.”

Will dropped a kiss on Hanni’s head before stepping away to throw the handful of ashes into the lake. Winston had been his dog. They had their moments after the boy was born, but as soon as they brought their son home, Winston took it upon himself to watch over the new member of their family.  
Will couldn’t ask for more. 

“He got me in trouble a few times,” Hanni said, looking down at the box, a sad smile as he thought of the havoc the two of them had caused when they played in the yard, or ran through the house. “But he took the blame even when it wasn’t his fault.” 

***** About 4 years ago*****  
“This isn’t fair,” Hanni huffed as he stood by his father, face scrunched up with displeasure. 

“Fair has nothing to do with it,” Hannibal said, giving the child far less attention than the boy wanted but just as much as his argument warranted, considering he had been repeating himself all afternoon. “It is your daddy’s birthday and we are going to have dinner together.”

“But we have dinner together all the time!”

“You had dinner at Duncan’s house just a few nights ago.” Hannibal’s voice never wavered though there was a raise in his brow at the tone his son was using. In his opinion the boy was old enough to have learned that tantrums did nothing to sway either of his fathers, and only ended with unfavorable circumstance for all involved.

Hanni continued to glare at him. “That was only dinner. This is a sleep over!” 

“There will be others you may attend,” Hannibal said, voice growing soft. He did not like letting things he loved leave his side but knew his son needed more than he and Will could give him.

“But I want to go to this one!” Hanni whined, defeat taking the anger out of his words. 

“You may not, and we are going to consider this conversation closed, is that understood?” 

“Not fair,” Hanni muttered, looking down when he could no longer meet his father’s eyes. 

“Not the answer I wanted to hear,” Hannibal said, wiping his hands on the nearby towel and brushing Hanni’s hair back before cupping his face. “Daddy has never missed your birthday.” 

“No one wants him to go to a sleepover,” Hanni couldn’t help grumbling and felt pleased with himself when his papa gave a disappointed sigh. 

“Take the dogs for a walk and change when you get home,” Hannibal said, returning to his dinner preparation. “I will need you to set the table.” 

Hanni left the room obviously upset at not having gotten his way. He wanted to slam a door or knock something over, but knew both things would land him in far more trouble than he wanted to be in.

When Darcy saw him holding a leash, she brought him a ball, always ready for a game of fetch and a chance to run. Hanni took it, and flung it angrily through the dining room. He really hadn’t known what he wanted to accomplish with that and hadn’t expected to do any real damage. He had just needed an outlet for his aggression.

It even felt good, right up to when it hit the wall. The ball bounced back hard and knocked over the champagne stand, causing it to tip over. Ice and glass came crashing down as Hanni stood frozen. He saw it happen but was powerless to stop it. 

Darcy took off running as soon as everything hit the floor while Winston ran closer, trying to get an ice cube. 

“Winston!” His father’s voice caused Hanni to snap back into reality. He ordered the dog to move away from the mess and the dangerous shards of glass. 

Winston moved closer to Hanni and dropped to the ground, looking guilty as he whined and rolled over. 

“How many times do I need to tell you not let the dogs run through to the house,” Hannibal said, looking at the mess with clear displeasure and even annoyance. There was disappointment there too at the waste of such good champagne but the boy was too busy looking for anger and blame to see it. 

It took a moment for Hanni to realize that his father thought Winston was the one responsible for the mess. He stood there, shocked and slightly guilty at having been the one to commit the crime and be able to get away with it while someone else got blamed. 

“I don’t want you in here until I had a proper chance to clean up,” Hannibal said with a sigh as he looked up at his son. “Go on and take them for a walk so I can get started.” 

Hanni called Winston over, and came very close to apologizing, though not confessing. He was no longer upset about not being allowed to sleep over at his friend’s house nor did he feel guilty about what he did. He felt bad that his father was left to clean up the mess but he felt like justice had been served.  
If he couldn’t have fun with his friends, they couldn’t enjoy their champagne. 

He rubbed Winston’s head as they left the house, promising him extra threats after dinner. Duncan might be his best friend but he wouldn’t have taken the blame for him like Winston had. 

***Present***

“You were the one to knock over my champagne?” 

“Sorry, Papa,” Hanni said, and though he was smiling, he sounded sincere. He still had his moments of childish outbursts over the years but not being able to get away with any other ones had taught him to not to lash out. “I felt bad afterwards and I was going to tell you the truth before I went to bed but you still seemed upset about it and I was scared.”

“As you should have been,” Hannibal said, a playful grumble to his voice as he held his arm out and let the boy throw his arms around his waist. He hugged him tightly, and was glad to see the boy still smiling when he looked down at him. “You owe me eight hundred dollars.” 

Hanni snickered at the mock stern look he got and buried his face against his papa’s jacket. “He was my best friend.” 

“And you were his.”

Hanni pulled away, brushing away new tears. He walked over to the lake and threw a hand full of ashes into the water. 

“It’s never going to be the same.” 

“No, it will not,” Hannibal said, coming over and taking the box from him. “You were not the only one he tried to save, though in my defense, I did nothing that warranted saving.”

***About 11 years ago ***  
 

They laid in bed, the baby between them. He was too young to talk but it didn’t stop his fathers from putting words in his mouth. 

“Papa, you should take us fishing.” Will said, moving the little hand that held on tightly to his index finger.

“Fishing? I think we should spend the day at the Smithsonian.” Hannibal tickled the boy’s chin. “Daddy, I want to go look at art with Papa!” 

“Nah-ah, that’s boring. We should go crabbing.” Will’s voice grew louder with excitement and Hanni gave a loud chortled, kicking out his legs and waving his arms. “Ooh Papa, think of all the yummy things you can make for Daddy!”

“Appealing to my vanity?” Hannibal lifted a brow. “I worry one day-”

When Hannibal’s phone went off, it was a bit of a surprise for both of them. Will had no idea how full Hannibal’s social calendar was until he had started spending most of his time in Baltimore, but since the birth of their son, the doctor had made it pretty clear that he intended to spend all his free time with his boys. Calls on the weekends became a seldom occurrence. 

Will groaned as he picked up the gist of the conversation from the responses he heard. Some of Hannibal’s patients were on the clingy side and unhappy when the doctor took a few months to bond with his new born. Now that he was back, at a limited capacity, one in particular had seemed set on monopolizing his time. 

“You don’t work today,” Will said, rolling over on to his back, and ignored what he could only explain as a stern expression on his lover’s face. He doubted the caller could hear him, since she tended to only hear what she wanted to in the first place. 

The call didn’t last long and by the end it was clear that crabbing was off the table. 

“It will only be a few hours,” Hannibal promised, rising to get changed. 

“I don’t understand why you’re going in the first place.” Will sat up, frowning down at his son since the other man had disappeared into the closet. “They have appointments for a reason.”

“I have to be available to them as any other doctor would,” Hannibal told him, coming to stand next to the bed as he buttoned up his shirt. “I will work to establish firmer boundaries so this does not happen in the future and find better coping techniques that she can utilize instead of calling me.” 

“She’s not looking for techniques,” Will voiced what they both knew. 

Hannibal paused, meeting Will’s eyes for a brief moment before turning up his collar and heading back to the closet for a tie. “I have to go to work. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” 

Something in his tone hit Will the wrong way.

“Right, work,” he rolled his eyes. “Unlike what I do while you’re gone.” Will lifted the boy over his head. “We’re so lucky, aren’t we Hanni? To have such a hard working papa who is willing to leave his family on his day off in order to entertain the fancy of an old lady who needs the meaning of her life reaffirmed every time she meets someone with opposing world views.” 

Hannibal chose to ignore the rant. 

“If it wasn’t for Papa working, we would be out on the streets, sleeping in a cardboard box since daddy is useless and does nothing at all day,” Will continued cooing the words at the boy, tone playful but dripping in anger and sarcasm.

“Is that what I said?” Hannibal asked, coming to stand at the side of the bed, this time straightening his waist coat. 

“Feel free to go to work now,” Will said, getting off the bed and walking past him with the boy in his arms. “I have soap operas to watch.” 

“I’m not sure what that means,” Hannibal admitted, following him out of the room. “But you must know I did not mean anything offensive by my statement.” 

“Except that you work and have a responsibility,” Will voice started to rise as he placed the boy in the crib. “While I change diapers and clean spit up all day!” 

“You have a resp-”

“You say changing diapers and clean spit is my responsibility, you’re going to want to bring a change of clothes to the office!” Will said with a pointed finger and growl to his voice. 

Hannibal stopped, wanting to come closer but unsure how the situation escalated so quickly and what actions would provoke him further. 

“What you do is not more important just because you get to put on a suit and leave and I have to sing _You Are My Sunshine_ sixty times a day!” Hannibal backed up as Will advanced, hoping that venting would ease whatever his comment had unintentionally unleashed. “You don’t get to-”

Will stopped and looked down, the annoyance and anger melting away at the sight of Winston with his toy. The dog was nudging his stuffed crocodile into his owner’s hand, whining softly. 

“Oh, you brought me a toy so I wouldn’t be mad at Papa?” Will asked, smiling down at him. 

For the first time he didn’t comment about being referred to as a parent to the dog. He enjoyed the dog’s company, but he was its master at the end of the day and not his Papa. 

“Do I get to keep Crocky if I stop yelling, is that it?” Will asked, voice softening as he tugged on the toy. Winston dug his feet into the floor, and refused to let go. “No?” Will laughed, and let go of the toy. “Then can I go back to yelling at Papa?” 

Winston shook his head, clearly not in response to Will’s question, but in effort to get the man engaged in the game, teasing him with the toy he held loosely in his mouth. 

“I think he wants you take it from him,” Hannibal said softly, aware that the other man knew just what was required of him but needing to test the fragile waters. 

“Is that so?” Will quirked an eye, and though he sounded cross, it was obvious he was trying not to smile. “Is there anything the wise Dr. Lecter doesn’t know?” 

“Only how I came to be so lucky.”

Will shook his head, eyes lit with amusement. “You can get a lot luckier if you take that suit off.” 

“You’re teasing,” Hannibal said after a quick pause to assess how serious the offer was. 

“Go to work,” Will said, coming closer and slipping a hand into the pockets of his waistcoat, taking out the cufflinks he knew Hannibal would have put there before leaving the bedroom to follow him. He slipped them into place, eyes on the hands that brushed against his. “Be Dr. Lecter, then come back and be Papa for our boy.”

“And for you?” 

“Hannibal.” 

“For as long as you let me,” Hannibal promised, meeting him half way. 

Hannibal could explain the dog’s behavior rationally, explored its basic instincts and the upbringing he observed over the years. He understood what Winston did had nothing to do with protection or even distraction. His motives didn’t matter to the doctor. 

To Hannibal it was all about the comfort Winston brought to the younger man. The fight might have been meaningless, and would have resolved itself on its own, but the dog had intervened and Will was now smiling. 

And if it had been a person that made Will smile like that, he would be tempted to bury them alive. 

**Present** 

 

“I might have overreacted a little,” Will said, a small sad smile brightened his face and made him tear up again. Those first few months after bringing Hanni home were exciting, exhausting, terrifying, and the most peaceful times of his life. He missed falling asleep with a baby on his chest, little hands clutching tightly onto his shirt, so warm, and that sweet smell that clung to them and left much too soon. 

He did not miss watching Hannibal leave for work. He might not have had actual friends, most of his socializing was usually done over crime scene photos or corpses, but he had a purpose. A few months later he returned to the classroom part time, hoping what he was teaching would stay with the future agents and keep them safe.

Hannibal knew that the outburst had little to do with what he said, or even how he said it. Will’s rough hands needed to be busy, his mind needed to be challenged. Without the dog, he doubted Will would have been able to put off his return for as long as he did. 

“No matter what it was,” Hannibal said, voice softer, kinder. “He had a way of making you, both of you, forget your worries.” 

“What about you Papa?” Hanni asked, looking up at him, corners of his mouth turned down again. 

“I only worry when you worry, sweet boy,” he told his son, reaching out to brush his hair back. “I’m only sad when you are sad.” 

“I’m not sad,” Hanni bravely lied, too young to question him.

“You can be sad,” Will said, coming closer again and pulling him close, shooting his husband a frustrated look. He knew Hannibal was doing his best in a situation that he barely understood and probably cared to be in even less. He was there for them, and that was what really mattered but Will didn’t want his son to think he needed to be brave for them. “There is no short cut around the pain you feel when you lose someone you loved.”

Hanni nodded, resting his head against Will but watching as Hannibal let the wind take the reminder of the ashes, even when it made him cry again. There was really nothing left of his best friend except the memories they shared and he wanted nothing more than to run his hand through the soft fur one more time, to wrestle over a stick, to chase him through the house, and have Winston come running when he pretend to collapse from exhaustion. 

“What happens when we die?” Hanni asked, knowing what they would say, what they always said but unable to stop himself from wishing they would tell him what he wanted to hear.

“I cannot answer that with any certainty,” Hannibal said, kneeling down on the sand in front of him, doing more voluntary damage to his clothes than any of them could remember in recent years. He returned the wooden box and laid a hand on to his son’s shoulder. “But it does not change how beautiful this life can be, how interesting.” His eyes went past the boy, to the man that stood behind him. “It does not take away from the things you love, but makes you love them more and cherish the time you have together.” 

**8 months later**

Hannibal looked from his son to his husband and then back down at the dog Hanni was holding tightly. It looked young, not too big, with a strange pattern of spots and dark ears. 

“I found her by the track field. She didn’t have any tags and no one knew where she came from,” Hanni said, arms tightening even more as he tucked her head against his shoulder. “Daddy said I can keep her if it’s all right with you”

He raised a brow at Will but only got a confident smile in return. Asking him was just a formality, the dog was staying. 

Hannibal reached for it and Hanni gave her up with some reluctance, shooting his dad a nervous look. 

“What are you doing?” 

“I’m simply going to make sure is healthy,” his nose twitched slightly, “then perhaps bathe her. We’ll have her checked out tomorrow.” 

“Really?” Hanni grinned, looking from one man to the other. “We can keep her?” 

“Have you considered that she might have an owner that is missing her?” Hannibal asked as he checked the dog’s fur for ticks, keeping an eye on his son. 

Hanni’s face fell and he tried to take the dog back but Hannibal just continued to inspect her as he ignoring her squirming and protests. 

“Then we’ll return her back to her family,” Will answered for his son, eyes narrowing on him when he looked like he was about to protest. He had mentioned the same  
thing in the car, but at that time the teen would have agreed to any terms in order to keep the puppy. 

“Hanni, do you understand?” 

“Yes, Papa,” Hanni sighed, knowing it was the right thing to do, but feeling discouraged because he couldn’t imagine someone not missing the cute pup.  
Hannibal watched the boy, the longing in his eyes. It wasn’t unlike the one he could see on Will’s face, though it was hidden better there. 

His fingers ran over the dog’s throat and up the side of her neck. He really didn’t want another dog. He had tolerated Darcy, and had even enjoyed Winston’s company but there was no need for a puppy in their house. 

And all he had to do was take her to the vet in the morning, and let them find the chip that he could feel under her flesh. 

“She needs a bath,” Hannibal said and shook his head when Hanni reached for her again. “You have homework to do. Daddy can give her a bath while I finish making dinner.” 

“Fine,” Hanni grumbled, wishing he could help. “Can I kiss the dirty puppy?”

After he got his kiss, Hanni left, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the dog was still safely in his father’s arms. 

Hannibal considered the dog once more before looking at Will. “You want this dog.” 

“Yes,” Will said even though it had not been a question. He reached over and scratched the dog’s head. “You might not think so, but it’s been too quite around here.” 

“There are other ways to rectify that,” Hannibal said, closing the distance between them with a single step.

“Not what I meant,” Will said, laughing into the kiss as he tilted his head back. 

“You can ask the world of me,” Hannibal said softly, pulling back just a little. “And all you want is this dog.” 

“You have given me everything else.” 

Hannibal sighed, and handed the dog over to Will before making his way over to his desk. 

When he pulled out the syringe and a scalpel, Will didn’t even flinch. He didn’t have to be told what the other man planned to do. 

It might not have been the right thing to do, but it didn’t always have to be.

**Author's Note:**

> Taking puppies is wrong... but now Will and Hanni will be happy. So it's all good.


End file.
